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Title:
Demon Warrior Koji
Genre: Horror
Credits: Anime 18
Cover Description: From the creator of Urotsukidoji: Legend
of the Overfiend, La Blue Girl, and Demon Beast Invasion! A monster
is out for blood, and only the man-demon Koji can hunt down the preternatural
killer. Aided by a morbid psychic, he follows the grisly trail of victims
to a lonely woman. What unspeakable horrors will he find? And are even
Koji's powers enough to curb this devastating threat?
NOTE: DVD Bonus Features: Meet Mr. Maeda, Anime Artform,
Chapter Stops, Meet the Characters, Sneak Peeks. DVD-rom features: Art
Gallery, Cast & Production Credits, and Scripts. Spoken Languages:
English, Japanese, English subtitles.
HN Opinions
Average Rating: |
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skysenshi (08.12.2001)
Chauvinistic? Let's see for ourselves...
Men have to protect women because they're weak and totally
helpless.
That was the line that almost had me putting a hole through
my TV screen. Unfortunately, this is the same line that would
help put some sense into this anime's connect-the-dots events,
so I advice young feminists out there to temporarily sheathe
your claws.
It's been a while since I've seen a hentai anime with conceptualization
as amazing as Demon Warrior Koji's. It is, of course, no less
than what I expected from Toshio Maeda, the famous creator
of Urotsukidoji.
While DWK is as rich as Uro in terms of story line, Koji's
tale isn't as confusing as that of the Overfiend's. The scenario
is one big jigsaw puzzle that must fall into place. Questions
will arise, and one cannot help but try to find the easiest
answers. What lies beneath the relationship of an old man,
his daughter and his grandson? What is the chief investigative
officer hiding? Where is the woman named Yuki and what are
the incidents leading to her disappearance? Many of these
questions will remain unanswered, and it is up to one's imagination
to decipher what the rules of the game really is. It also
doesn't hurt that Mr. Maeda seems to have injected a bit of
a romantic element to Koji, since this angle has been dealt
with more emotional agony and realism than mush.
Maeda's character design is nothing short of superb. Koji
doesn't look like your generic h-anime protagonist. He may
look strange if you view him up front, but he looks dashing
if you view him sideways. His demonic form isn't bad either.
He does, in fact, look a bit like my favorite Final
Fantasy VIII's Guardian Force Diablo in terms of form
and bearing. There are also interesting people in the supporting
role, like for example, that big chunk of a man who has a
gatling gun for an arm (think Barret of Final
Fantasy VII). There's the undead Jun, whose powers are
like the combination of Jean Grey's, Gambit's, and Wolverine's.
Jun is an enigma, especially as she can't feel pain yet can
get horny pretty fast with just a simple touch (ahem). Other
members of the team are a Grim Reaper look-alike and two horny
airheads. They certainly don't lack action sequences, as it
would be such a waste to just let these fascinating personalities
just stand there and be gawked at.
The art? Now, that is what you call a masterpiece. I could
swear Maeda is the only person who can outdo himself in this
line of work. The ending theme, Ice Rain, matches it
well too.
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| Art/Animation: 9
Story/Plot: 10 Characters: 9 Sounds: 10
Ecchi Level: 7 |
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Interzone
(10.10.2002)
Classic in every sense
Toshio Maeda cannot put a foot wrong in my book. Demon Warrior
Koji is a stunning three-episode mystery, filled with intrigue,
characters bearing heavy burdens and sad pasts, a wacky cast
of good guys straight out of a superhero comic book, doomed
romance (a Maeda favorite), explicit sex, and all the cruelty
and nastiness you'd expect.
A pleasant surprise was that unlike Nightmare Campus and
Urotsukidoji, the cast consists almost entirely of adults.
But there still is that renowned Maeda controversy, for after
all, there's nothing more he likes to do than portray both
sides of human behavior - love and compassion / sheer brutality
and coldness. There are a few shocking moments, a hefty dose
of foul sexual language, a particularly nasty rape scene and
a lot of dead bodies stockpiled by the end. All of this despite
the notable absence of tentacles!
What with all the right ingredients for a storming show falling
into place, surely the animation - the Achilles heel of hentai
- must be a let down. Not so. Demon Warrior Koji looks magnificent.
It possesses real visual integrity and certain packs a heavy
punch with its muted colors. Of note though is the video quality
of the DVD that verges on appalling at times. The picture
is murky, soft and fluctuates in quality between episodes
- though it does lend a gloomy quality to the atmospherics.
I'd attribute this to the original masters rather than any
mishandling on the part of CPM, however.
Apart from the fact that there's untold loose threads still
dangling at the end; Demon Warrior Koji is utterly essential
viewing. More would be nice!
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| Art/Animation: 9
Story/Plot: 9 Characters: 10 Sounds: 6
Ecchi Level: 8 |
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